The Vance Boelter guilty plea entered in a United States federal court on Thursday, 11 June 2026, confirmed the Minnesota gunman will serve two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years for a deadly attack on state lawmakers.
Boelter admitted to the murder of Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and to shooting state senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette at their home, as reported by CNN.
The plea deal removed the death penalty from the table.
What the Vance Boelter guilty plea covers
The attacks took place on Saturday, 14 June 2025, when Boelter disguised himself as a police officer and shot the Hortmans at their home.
He drove to the Hoffman residence the same day, wounding the senator and his wife and attempting to shoot their daughter.
Boelter was captured after a 43-hour manhunt, described as the largest in Minnesota’s history. The agreement that ended his federal case was approved by acting United States attorney general Todd Blanche, with prosecutors accepting the consecutive life terms in exchange for abandoning a capital trial.
United States attorney for the district of Minnesota Daniel Rosen defended the arrangement after the hearing.
“Those that would commit political violence at any level should take heed that the Department of Justice will seek and obtain the longest prison terms available for your crimes,” he said.
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Courtroom reaction to the guilty plea
Sobs broke out in the courtroom as Boelter admitted that he shot Hortman several times before putting a gun to her head and killing her.
The admission forced survivors and relatives of the victims to relive the night in detail.
The Hoffman family made plain that the outcome brought little comfort.
“There is no justice,” the family said in a statement released after the plea was entered, a reaction that captured the mood among those closest to the victims.
Rosen argued the deal guaranteed a result no trial could promise.
“When you have a defendant that is prepared to plead guilty to consecutive life terms plus 40 years to ensure that he never sees freedom again in his entire life, that was an opportunity that we just could not pass up,” he said.
What happens next in the Boelter case
The federal plea does not end Boelter’s legal jeopardy. Hennepin County’s separate state prosecution remains active, meaning Boelter still faces murder and attempted murder charges before a Minnesota court despite the federal resolution.
The county attorney has confirmed the state prosecution will proceed.
Formal sentencing in the federal matter will confirm the two life terms plus 40 years. The state case will now determine whether further convictions are added to a file that already guarantees Boelter dies in prison.
